Electrically-operated attachment for pianos.



J. L. BLACK.

ELEGTRIGALLY OPERATED ATTACHMENT FOR PIANOS.

APPLIOATION FILED FER 23, 1911.

Batenped Dec. 31, 1912.

I. III

Fig. 10.

- may JOHN L. BLACK, or HAMILTON,

01110, assren'on or ONE-HALF 'ro GEORGE J. LANG, or HAMILTON, omo.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ap lication filed Tetra-cry 28, 1911. Serial No. 810,141.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J 01m L. BLACK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hamilton, Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrically-Operated Attachments for Pianos, of which the followin is a specification.

Iy invention relates to electrlcally operated attachments for-pianos, and the objects of my improvements are to provide orchestra bells with solenoid ringm mechanism havingelectrical connections w ich may be scribed manner as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is an end elevation wlth parts in section of a piano provided with my improvements; Fig. 2 a plan of portions of a switch board. adapted to be removably supported undert he keys of a piano Fig. 3 a section on the'line a-a of Fig. 2; Figs. 4 and 5 a plan and a longitudinal vertical section respectively of a portion of a series of orchestra bells; Fig. 6 a diametrical section of portions of a snare drum provided with tap and roll playing attachments; Fig. 7 a

plan and'Figs. 8 and 9 side andend elevations respectively of the switch pedal, and Fig. 10 a diagram of the electrical circuits.

In the drawings, 1 re resents a piano provided with the usual eye 2. A series of orchestra bellshere represented a Xylophone or metallo hone bars 3 are each arranged to be sounde by the contact therewith of the core 4: of a corresponding solenoid 5 suported thereunder in a box 6. Asnare drum each eing adapted to sound single taps by the separate contact of their respective cores 9 with the drum head 11. An electric bell mechanism 12 arranged for its hammer 13 to rapidly contact with the drum head 11 for beating the roll thereon. Any suitable source of current may be employed for operating said solenoids and bell mechanism.

rovided with a series of solenoids8 Such source is typified by several distinct batteries 22, 23, 24 and 28, 1n Fig. 10. These Patented Dec. 31, 1912;

batteries may be housed in one box such as that marked Battery in Fig. 1. The bells and drumming mechanism, shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 6, preferably have the various circuit wires, graphically shown in Fig. 10, bound into 'a cable and connected to the foot switches and to the key board switches, as indicated by heavy lines joining the solenoids 5 of Figs. 5, 8 of Fig. 6, and bell mechanism 12 of Fig. 6, to said switches and batteries of Fig. 1. This cable is shown in dotted-lines where it extends from Fig. 6 to Fig. 5 and from Fig. 5 to Fig. 1. The union of said circuit wires in the cables makes it easy to move the combined attachments from one piano to another.

A switch board 14 may be removably supported under the keys 2 of the piano as shown in Fig. 1. Said board is provided with a longitudinal metal conductor 15 whereon similar series '16 and 17 of resilient metal switches are secured to register with the corresponding piano keys 2. Corresponding switches of each of said series may be closed simultaneously by the depression of the piano key directly thereover. The switches of series 16 serve to close the electrical circuit through one of the corresponding wires 18, 19 or 21 from the respective batteries 22, 23 and 24 with the corresponding solenoid 8 of the drum.

The switches of seriesl? serve to close the through wire 20 to either of the solenoids 8 i for beating taps on the drum.

An independent circuit from batteries 28 through wires 29 and 31 serves to actuate the electricbell for beating a roll on the drum. A normally open pedal'switch 32 Figs. 7, 8 and 9 and grafile ically represented.

as open in Fig. 10 may closed by the toe of the operator for maintaining said circuit closed as'desired.

to simultaneously play either .01 both the orchestra bells and taps m" the roii 02: the

drum.

What I claim The combination with piazw a series of orchestral bells 01 the like, a series of electro-1naguetic hammers one for each bell a. drum a series of eieetro1nagnetiehammers arranged strike Hie head of the drum, :1 series ef .twitolms for: each of hmnmers said switches being zuounied on removable support pieced uncier the Outer ends of the piano keys and arranged in paire each pair opei'able by a single key, said pairs having a Contact member in common eej re sisting of a. spring utmehed at its middle anzi having upwardly curved exire -iities, and detached indepemlently operable switch-eontroliing pedals in the hammer cireuits Whereby either one or both sets of hammers may be connected in circuit or operation by the piano keys, eubsiuntiaiiy set forth: 

